𝗦𝗧𝗔𝗥𝗙𝗔𝗟𝗟

laughter

"MONOTONY," you sighed. Inside your tall palace with dozens of closed windows and closed doors you looked outside the only open window you could view. Ever since your parents passed away you were crowned princess and you had so many things to do. Every day wasn't technically boring but it was tasking. It could be too much for a person your age, you would hear people say.

You flattened out the creases on a plain cream-coloured dress and put a couple a clips in your hair to make it look less plain. As you walked through the marble hallways, you heard whispers all around you. She's so young. No wonder our kingdom's people are suffering. What's she going to do?

Most days you would go into your bedroom at the end of a day without showing even a smile. There was only one exception, when Varian would come. As the council would discuss things about the farmland with his father, Varian would hang out with you. It was one of the best times of your week. You would always at least smile once when he was around even if when he came was rare.

Today, you heard that his father was coming and you knew that he was going to come as well. You waited on one of the puffy velvety seats that were near a window in the marble hallways, until you overheard visitors coming in. You ran into a hallway right beside the main/throne room. You shyly waved from the side and hid around the corner.

You brushed your kelly green dress out that wasn't a complete ballgown because you didn't feel like you needed it. Your hair was swept up into a bun because you had plans. You wanted to show Varian one of your favourite places to go in the castle that you had been creating for quite some time now. You saw him coming over into the hallway. "Is your father going into another meeting?" You asked him.

"Yeah," He said, his blue eyes looking directly into yours. You smiled and began to run in your dress down the hallway. "Where are we going?"

"I have something to show you, come on!" You told him and you continued to run through the hallway until you opened a door, that led to a bunch of stairs. Leading him down the stairs it was pretty dark except one candle that you left on a table nearby the door. One you got out of the spiral staircase you used the candle to light up a contraption that you designed in this very space.

"What is all of this?" Varian asked you. You were a little bit ashamed. This place was hidden from everyone else and you didn't share it with anyone until him.

"It's like a project space I created. I have all of these different containers and a bunch of different elements that other kingdoms trade with us for. No one has ever seen what goes on down here, except you and me." You shared with him. You set the candle down on a table and showed him all of the stuff that you were doing.

"I didn't realize you were into science."

"It's not really mandatory for us royals. I keep it a little bit of a secret, I don't want anyone to think I'm weird. Wait? You don't think any of this is weird right? You don't think I'm weird?" You asked, a little bit nervous.

"No, I think it's great!" He said, "I love alchemy." You looked at him with a smile, realizing that you had found something that both of you liked. You handed him a pair of special lab gloves and then put on your own.

"Gloves." You said and Varian nodded. "Goggles."

"An underestimated power duo."

"Right." You said. It was just like that, where Varian spent more and more days with you, because you had a better lab than his. Sometimes he would bring projects of his own and you would look at them together and analyze what could be better.

Months and months passed of good memories, but there was still something off about Varian so you decided to ask him what was going on. "Is there anything troubling you?" You had your (h/c) hair tied up like usual and you played with the loose strands,

"It's just that I've never heard you laugh before." He looked at you and you tilted your head in confusion. You wondered why he was so concerned about that.

"Well, I smile don't I?" You asked, trying to make a joke yourself to see if you could make yourself laugh, or at least come off as funny.

He put his goggles down and took his gloves off. "I know you smile and you also can make me laugh. Yet, no matter what I do I can't seem to get you to laugh."

You took your goggles off, "I'm sorry."

"Sorry?" He questioned.

"I haven't laughed since...since..." Yet, you couldn't bring yourself to say it.

"Since, your parents." He finished. You nodded. "I'm not going to stop trying though." He told you and you shook you head and put your goggles back on.

Once he had his goggles and gloves back on you handed him a vial. You placed an erlenmeyer flask on the table and waited for him to pour a drop of the vial's solution into it. You had been working up to the moment for weeks now and you hoped that the outcome was worth it. As soon as he poured a drop into the flask, it combusted into colourful smoke. Varian coughed and his hair was all a bunch of crazy colours. You laughed.

He smiled, and you wondered why he was so happy. "You laughed!" He said. "I will remember that laugh forever."

"Why?" You said, still drying a few tears of laughter.

"Because it's special. It's the first time I've heard you laugh."

"I guess I just needed a little bit of help." You told him. The distance between you grew shorter and shorter. It seemed like your lips were about to make contact but you backed up. "You should probably clean up your hair. I don't think we can come up with an explanation for your father."

"Right!" He said and just like that he left you alone in your lab. You didn't know why you backed away, maybe because it was just not the right time for you. It was a little bit awkward, but you didn't mind. You walked up the stairs after taking the lab equipment off and brushing the colours off your dress.

Varian was about to leave with his dad and you watched from the hallway again. Waving goodbye, you noticed that he still had the goggles left on his head. You didn't mind, it was kind of cute, besides you already had your pair.

a/n

I am a little mad that this one couldn't be gender neutral. Yep, you've been reading stuff that rarely mentions gender, until now.

1133 words, May 5th